LAURA & JOSH
him again, the familiar rush that only he’d ever been able to stir up. But then the anger flared back up, a reminder of everything we’d been through, and I pulled my other hand up, ready to slap him again for kissing me, to make him feel an ounce of what he’d put me through.
Josh’s hand caught that one too, holding both of my wrists firmly above my head. He paused, breathing heavily, his gaze sweeping over my face like he was trying to memorize every detail.
I couldn’t resist any longer. With a defiant surge of need, I leaned in, pressing my lips to his, tasting the familiar warmth that had haunted my dreams more times than I could count. It was like setting a match to gasoline. His mouth met mine with a fire that burned right through my defenses, and he pressed me into the wall, deepening the kiss, his body against mine, leaving no space between us.
For a second, everything else melted away–every argument, every hurtful word, every broken piece of us scattered over the years. All I could feel was his hands holding me, his mouth moving over mine with an intensity that left me dizzy and breathless.
BONUS
BONUS
LUKE
The day was perfect–the kind of crisp, clear morning you pray for when you’ve planned an outdoor wedding. The sky was a soft, endless blue, and the air had that lingering warmth of carly fall, leaves just starting to turn at the edges. Everything about today felt unreal, and yet, here I was, standing at the altar, dressed up in a suit that Jess had chosen because she said it made me look “irresistible.” And I was more than willing to believe her.
Josh shifted beside me, tugging at his collar, clearly uncomfortable in anything that wasn’t shorts.. I caught his eye, and he grinned at me before glancing down the aisle, where Laura had just stepped out, looking radiant. She looked stunning, and I nudged Josh, flashing him a quick wink. He rolled his eyes, trying to play it cool, but the small smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth gave him away. The guy was head over heels for her, even if he was just now figuring out how to show it. That idiot always was slow on the uptake.
On the other side, I caught sight of my father sitting in the second row, his face serious but softened somehow. Therapy had been doing him good; even my mom, who’d finally divorced him, was here to show support. The whole process had been rough, but he’d taken the time to work on himself, and though we weren’t perfect, we’d managed to find some peace. Jess’s parents sat beside him, looking at her with so much pride it felt like the air was thick with it. Jess had always been everything to them, just as she was everything to me.
And then the music changed.
I hadn’t thought I’d feel nervous.
Not with her.
But as the first notes of the bridal march began, my pulse picked up, a steady drumbeat of excitement and disbelief. And when Jess finally appeared at the end of the aisle, my heart skipped, everything else fading
to a blur.
She was breathtaking. Her dress was simple but elegant, flowing with every step she took, the fabric catching the sunlight. Her hair was swept up, with loose strands framing her face, and she had that look in her eyes -the one that was just for me. A look that held all our years together, every moment of laughter, every tear, every late–night conversation. The closer she got, the more my chest tightened, a wave of emotion crashing
over me.
And then, there she was, standing in front of me, her hand slipping into mine. Her eyes met mine, and for a second, we just stood there, both of us caught in this moment that was somehow even better than I’d imagined. I gave her hand a small squeeze, and she smiled, that soft, radiant smile that I’d fallen in love with a thousand times over.
The officiant cleared his throat, drawing our attention back to the ceremony. I barely heard a word. It was just her–her face, her smile, the warmth of her hand in mine. When it came time for the vows, I swallowed hard, the words I’d spent weeks perfecting suddenly feeling heavy on my tongue.
“Jess,” I began, my voice rough. “I tried to write this a thousand times, but nothing I came up with could ever explain how much you mean to me. You’ve been my best friend, my strength, and the one person who sees through all my crap and still loves me anyway. You’ve shown me what it means to be strong, to be kind, and to give everything to the people you love. And I promise that I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to be worthy of you. To love you the way you deserve, every single day.”
